Pipe, such as plastic, copper, lead pipe and the like, has been used for connecting homes and creating networks for utilities, for instance, water, sewage and natural gas. As pipes become older, they break down, crack, develop scaling on interior surfaces that can clog the pipe, etc. and thereby require replacement.
A technique known as pipe bursting is currently used as a method to replace underground pipe without the need to completely dig up the pipe to be replaced. A pipe breaking device, such as an expander or a mole, is pulled by a cable through the existing pipe while it is still underground. The expander is designed to break, split or burst the pipe, and at the same time to push the old pipe into the surrounding soil. The expansion of the old pipe allows the expander to pull a replacement pipe into place.
In some situations, instead of leaving pipe in the ground it is desirable to remove the pipe (e.g., where the pipe includes an environmentally hazardous material such as lead). Some pipe is ductile, such as lead or copper, and has a low tensile strength. Pulling on ductile pipe to remove it from the ground may result in tensile failure, thereby leaving a portion of the pipe in the ground. The section of pipe remaining is difficult to extract and may require excavation for removal.
What is needed is a pipe removal system that provides an option of pipe removal in contrast to pipe bursting. What is further needed is consistent removal of pipe without fracturing of the pipe. What is still further needed is a pipe removal system capable of removing low tensile strength pipe and replacing the pipe with a new pipe.